Images Identification
Ngalyod, one of the greatest spirits in the Amhem Land, is a part and parcel of the Kunwinjku mythology. Represented as a serpent most of the time, the spirit is said to reside the caverns of the underground. However, from time to time, the serpent emerges from beneath the surface in order to gobble the people that do not abide the Kunwinjku law (“Gunwinggu” 1). The image dates 2007 and was created by Glen Namundja.
X-ray style figure rock painting, in its turn, belongs to the B.C. era (circa 8000–2700 BC) and was not represented by a single artist. Identified as Mesolithic heritage, the artworks can be found in Australia, Northern Europe, New Guinea, etc. (Tacon 318)
Thematic Connection
The concepts that the two types of art render seem quite different from each other. However, there is a tangible connection between the two. Each of the works represents a life cycle and introduces the viewer to the idea of death and its numerous renditions in various cultures.
Thesis statement
Though the Entwined Ngalyod by Glen Namundja and X-ray style figure rock painting have seemingly little in common in terms of their form, the material used for their creation, the era that they were introduced to the audience in, etc., the ideas that they represent are very similar, especially the concept of hereafter that the two types of art hint at, are quite similar.
The theme
As it has been stressed above, death is obviously the key theme that connects the Entwined Ngalyod by Glen Namundja and the X-ray style figure rock painting. However, the artworks also touch upon the issue of nature and nurture. Each of the artworks clearly defines the place of a human being in the universe, therefore, defining people’s role in it and stressing their dependency on the power of nature.
The look
Both works of art have a rather fragmented look. They seem like the pieces of a puzzle that have fallen into their places by chance. This chance, i.e., the Unknown, is rendered with the help of memorable themes.
The form
Unlike the Entwined Ngalyod, which was made by applying natural pigments to a piece of bark (Namundja para. 1), the X-ray style figure painting is portrayed on rock. The choice of the drawing material, however, remains similar – natural pigments were used to draw the skeletons of animals, fish, etc. (“Aboriginal Rock Art” 2).
Stylistic Analysis
Entwined Ngalyod
Line work
A very original use of straight and broken lines is what sets the Entwined Ngalyod aside from similar pieces of art. The pattern allows the viewer to “draw” their own interpretation of the ancient monster into the picture.
Color and shades
A very clever use of color is obviously one of the many distinctions of the Entwined Ngalyod. By using different shades of red yellow and brown, the author managed to create a specific atmosphere and relate the painting to the earth. In addition, the color case crates an impression of movement, which aligns with the image of a giant snake.
Fragmentation
As it has been stressed, the artwork can be identified by its unique “patched” structure. Despite the seeming lack of cohesion between the elements of the painting, it assembles perfectly into not an image, but a concept of an ancient beats that link life and afterlife.
X-ray style figure rock painting
Realism
A striking realism of the artwork is what falls into the eye immediately. X-ray style rock figure painting follows the structure of the beings that it represents with a manic precision. Thus, the line between art and reality is blurred.
Scale
Surprisingly enough, the rock paintings are very large – some of them reach 2.5 feet in length (Tacon 322).
Axis
In addition to an impressive size, the X-ray style figures have the so-called “life line,” which runs across them from the mouth to the stomach (Tacon 333).
Cultural Context
Entwined Ngalyod
Law in society
The creation introduces the idea of law to the audience.
Punishment and redemption
The two are depicted as the unavoidable force that will inevitably capture the culprit.
Beast vs. human
Envisioned as a giant snake, Entwined Ngalyod can be interpreted as a symbol for the everlasting conflict between the human world and nature.
X- ray style figure rock painting
Cognition of nature
Displaying the structure of organisms in a pretty obvious manner, X-ray style figure rock painting manifests the necessity to learn the way in which an organism functions.
Death and the afterworld
Being the representation of fossilized animals, the artworks do prompts the ideas of life after death. Thus, the concept of death as a natural end of existence is brought up by the authors of the artwork.
Nature vs. nurture
The fact that the artists preferred to depict beast in their figure rock painting also makes one re-evaluate the niche that a man takes in the context of natural environment.
Conclusion
While the Entwined Ngalyod by Glen Namundja and X-ray style figure rock painting belong to different epochs, were made by the representatives of different civilizations and were used for different purposes, they strangely intersect in their themes. Introducing people to the concept of life and death as the beginning and the end of a cycle, these artworks share similar concepts of a life cycle and the place of a human being in it.
Works Cited
“Aboriginal Rock Art.” Indigenous Australia. 2014. Web.
“Gunwinggu.” Database for Indigenous Cultural Evolution. 2012. Web.
Namundja, Glen. “Entwined Ngalyod.” Northern Territory Government. 2007. Web.
Tacon, Paul S. C. “From the ‘Dreamline’ to the Present: The Changing Role of Aboriginal Rock Paintings in Western Arnhem Land, Australia.” The Canadian Journal of Native Studies 9.2 (1989), 317–339. Web.